Man with sword arrested after attack by public and police near metro station

Five people were taken to hospital and a sword-wielding man was arrested following an attack on members of the public and police officers in Hainault, north-east London.

Officers were called shortly before 7am to reports that a vehicle had been driven into a house in the Thurlow Gardens area and people had been stabbed. Scotland Yard believes the suspect also attacked other citizens and two police officers.

A man described the suspect engaging in a shootout with police in an alley in the Thurlow Gardens area, before hearing “a huge commotion” and a woman screaming.

A 36-year-old man was arrested and police said they were not looking for any other suspects. Police said the incident does not appear to be terrorism-related and is not believed to be an ongoing threat to the wider community.

“This must have been a terrible incident for those involved. I know the wider community will be shocked and alarmed,” said Assistant Deputy Commissioner Ade Adelekan.

Key points

• Police officers among five people hospitalized after Hainault attack

• 36-year-old man arrested after seeing suspect wielding a sword

• Police officers received reports of a car being driven towards a house in Ilford

• Police say the incident is not believed to be linked to terrorism

• What we know so far about the ‘terrible’ Hainault incident

Suspect ‘was shocked after trying to enter the house’

11:29 , Andy Gregory

An eyewitness claimed the suspect was tasered by police.

“About seven or eight police cars were pulling into that road and 10 minutes later I saw the man running towards the police station and turning into the road opposite the station,” he told Radio 5 Live.

“He tried to get into one of the houses but couldn’t and that’s when they tasered him.”

Sunak praises ‘courage’ of emergency services

11:00 , Andy Gregory

Rishi Sunak praised the bravery of emergency services who responded to the attack in Hainault.

Speaking at the Society of Editors conference in central London, he said: “I would like to express my gratitude to the emergency teams who responded and pay tribute to their bravery.”

Wes Streeting praises ‘heroic’ response to attack

10:57 , Andy Gregory

Local MP Wes Streeting said: “I would like to thank the emergency services for their response to the horrific incident in my constituency this morning, especially the heroic Metropolitan Police officers who put themselves at risk to protect others. They are our best.

“My prayers are with those injured and their relatives. I know there will be widespread fear and alarm in our society, but the police have arrested one person and are not looking for any other suspects.

“I am in close contact with the police, the Mayor of London and London Borough of Redbridge and will keep local residents informed.”

Five people hospitalized after Hainault attack

10:33 , Andy Gregory

Five people were hospitalized following the attack in Hainault.

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We were called at 6.54am this morning to reports of an incident near Hainault tube station.”

“We sent resources to the scene including ambulance crews, clinicians in response cars, advanced paramedics and the London air ambulance.

“We understand that members of the public and two police officers have now been attacked.

“Working with our emergency services partners, we treated five people at the scene and took all five to the hospital. All crews left the scene.”

Witness described ‘conflict between police and attacker in alley’

10:27 , Andy Gregory

An eyewitness to the Hainault shootings said a distance had been established between the police and the suspect in the alley before he heard a woman scream.

The man, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I also heard ‘he has a very big knife’ or ‘he has a very big sword’. Then he disappeared down this alley and disappeared.

“Them [the police] I went into the alley and heard a huge commotion as if there was some kind of obstacle there, then I heard a scream.

“Following this chaos, at least one person was stabbed; I think it might be a woman because I heard a woman screaming followed by some sobbing sounds.

“Then I heard something like ‘he got stabbed in the face’ or ‘we need help’, you know, calling for medical support.”

What we know so far about the ‘terrifying’ Hainault incident

10:22 , Andy Gregory

Here’s a brief summary of what we know so far about this morning’s incident in north-east London:

• Police were called shortly before 7am to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house in Thurlow Gardens, near Hainault Metro station. There were reports of people being stabbed.

• It is thought that the suspect then attacked other citizens and two police officers.

• Police are waiting for information about the condition of the injured.

• The 36-year-old man was caught with a sword at the scene and taken into custody.

• Hainault Metro station and surrounding roads were closed during the police investigation.

• Police said the attack did not appear to be linked to terrorism and was not believed to be an ongoing threat to the wider community.

Sadiq Khan thanks emergency services for ‘running towards danger’

10:17 , Andy Gregory

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he was “absolutely devastated” by the attack in Hainault and thanked emergency services for “rushing towards danger”.

He said: “I am in constant communication with the commissioner. One person was arrested and the area was secured. Police are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident. There will be additional assurance patrols in the area.

“Police officers and emergency services were at our city’s best; They ran into danger to protect others, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart.

“I would advise people not to speculate until the details of this incident have been confirmed by police and to refrain from posting the footage on social media.”

Home Affairs Minister gets update on Hainault incident

10:08 , Andy Gregory

Home Affairs Minister James Cleverly said he was receiving regular updates on the incident in Hainault.

“I am regularly briefed on the incident that occurred at Hainault Station this morning,” Mr Cleverly said.

“My thoughts are with those affected and I would like to thank the emergency responders. I would urge people not to speculate or share the footage online and not to provide relevant information to police.”

Video report: Police attend ‘critical incident’ amid reports of stabbing near Hainault Metro station

10:00 , Andy Gregory

Witness said he woke up screaming when he saw someone being stabbed

09:59 , barney davis

A witness told Independent: “I woke up outside screaming loudly and then I saw someone stabbing another child.

“Then the police came like crazy. The young man walked towards the station and I’m not sure what happened there.

“To be honest, I couldn’t really hear what was being said. But he had a big sword and he was right outside my door.

“I’m lucky my mom is okay. She was about to leave for work.”

Of one of the alleged victims, he added: “He was a young man. He was sitting around the corner and probably going to school.”

You can also refresh our breaking report below for updates:

‘Critical incident’ after reports of stabbing at Hainault metro station

Police announced that the incident was not related to terrorism

09:56 , Andy Gregory

Police do not believe the incident is linked to terrorism and there is no further threat to the wider community.

Scotland Yard said in a statement: “We do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the community.

“We are not looking for any more suspects. This incident is not thought to be linked to terrorism.”

At least six fire crews scrambled to assist police and paramedics

09:55 , Andy Gregory

London Fire Brigade said it was called to assist with the incident in Hainault.

“Firefighters were mobilized to assist police and London Ambulance Service employees in the incident that occurred near Hainault Underground Station,” the statement said.

“The crew supported London Ambulance Service crews in providing urgent emergency care.

“The brigade was called at 7.35am and the incident was over for firefighters at 9.24am.

“Fire crews from Dagenham, Walthamstow, Ilford, Romford, Hainault, East Ham and surrounding fire stations attended the scene.”

Witness said Van ‘house was entered’

09:51 , barney davis

One neighbor said he woke up to a minibus “crashing into his house” across from him.

Told Independent He said his neighbor heard “someone hurt, or worse, moaning and crying.”

“I jumped out of bed and saw the van upside down from the house. He moved towards the path where I believe he attacked another person. “It’s really bad,” he said.

Police chief says incident ‘must have been horrific’

09:46 , Andy Gregory

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said: “This must have been a horrific incident for those involved.

“I know the wider community will be shocked and alarmed.

“People will want to know what happened and will we provide more information as soon as possible?”

Police officers were among those attacked

09:45 , Andy Gregory

The Metropolitan Police said a sword-wielding suspect is believed to have attacked several members of the public and two police officers.

Police are waiting for information about the condition of the injured.

A 36-year-old man was arrested and taken into custody at the scene.

Police received a report that the vehicle crashed into a house

09:42 , Andy Gregory

The Metropolitan Police said officers were called shortly before 7am to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house in the Thurlow Gardens area.

Police said there were reports of people being stabbed.

Sword-wielding man allegedly ‘waited in front of houses’ and attacked ‘random residents’

09:40 , Amy-Clare Martin, Crime Reporter

Footage posted on social media following the incident shows a man carrying what looks like a samurai sword.

According to unverified posts, the attacker “waited in front of houses and attacked random residents.”

In the footage, the man wearing a yellow sweater and black trousers can be seen waiting with a gun in people’s front yards as emergency cars were nearby.

09:39 , Andy Gregory

A man has been arrested in Hainault, north-east London, following reports of stabbings and a car being driven into a building.

We will use this blog to bring you the latest updates.